After the 4th of July, it’s easy to fall into an ongoing summer haze of swimming bbq’s and keeping the brews cold. It addition to those activities, we headed up to Mt. Hood for the 4th annual Rat Race and stayed for a few extra days to get some boarding in while the snow still exists. If the opportunity presents itself, we highly recommend a visit out to the glacier. It was so nice to get on the board and rip some turns.

Jake Durham put together this video short of Jake Blauvelt and Danimals ripping the banked slalom course with style and ease.

Despite poor snow conditions, the High Cascade Park has been insanely fun. They have moulded the pre historic glacial ice into jumps, hips and quarter pipes like this one where Danimals felt very comfy blasting a frontside ollie.

Hana joined in on the QP session with some stellar plants.

Jake Bluavelt took some time off from waist deep pow to show us he’s still got it and so much more. This frontside invert should explain it.

Global Am Alex Sherman has been cooking up weiners at Cobra Dogs right at the bottom of Mt. Hood all summer long. This gets him up the hill and on his hands quite a bit which has shown with some crispy new hand plant variations.

We went to go check out the rat race the day after the event to rip some turns and slash some berms. As soon as we hiked up to the course, a heavy rain storm came in sent all the boys hiding under a tent. Hana said fuck it, and kept ripping the course in the downpour.

Just as quick as the storm rolled in, she was out with the clouds and the session was on.

The Rat Race course is no joke. As soon as you think you are calm and collected linking turns through the berms, an unexpected rut can send ya flying!

We doubt anyone can look this good after eating shit. Hana Beaman ladies and gents.

Nick Hyne, Nick Brown and Mahi Mains delve deep into the Southern Alps before being escorted to Cecil Peak by Helicopter to enjoy a banquet of June powder..then heli in a spa to finish things off. Can you think of a better way to spend the start of winter!? New Zealand has had unprecedented start to winter and it is set to only get better!

We had so many great entries the choice was hard! But on the long drive to Whistler the team chose Colin (@collimaynar on Instagram) as the winner! Congrats Colin, your’re going to Global Am Camp aka High Cascade Snowboard Camp! Spencer Schubert called Colin personally to tell him he had the winning entry and was heading to camp! Not only is he heading to High Cascade Snowboard Camp but he’s also flying there courtesy of Alaska Airlines!

Colin’s Winning Edit:

WHAT IS A GLOBAL AM?

How do you become a Global AM? Where do Global AM’s come from? Many have wondered, but very few actually know. We are going to debunk the mystery behind the Global AM by awarding one lucky winner a very special trip to High Cascade Snowboard Camp, the birthplace of the Global AM.

You’ll wear what they wear (tee’s and bucket hats), You’ll eat what they eat (mostly Cobra Dogs). You’ll sleep where they sleep (bunk beds) You’ll ride what they ride (RIDE Crook). At the end of this 8-day intensive Global AM training you’ll possibly, just maybe, sorta kinda, become a proud member of the RIDE Global AM team!

PRIZE DETAILS

– You win Free Air Travel from Alaska Airlines to PDX (Portland, Oregon) Airport. Where a HCSC van will pick you up and take you to camp.

– Crook Snowboard

– Global AM Starter Kit (mysterious I know)

THE RULES

– You’re responsible for your transportation to a U.S. airport that Alaska Airlines flies from.

– A RIDE Team member will pick the winner. (The winner will have 1 week to accept or reject prize)

– Winner must be age 13 or older and have parents permission if under 18.

– Camp session expires August 15, 2015. Valid for one, youth or adult camp tuition. High Cascade reserves the right to assign a specific session or lodging option. Can not be used for BKPRO or Photo Workshop. Camp session is non-transferable and has no cash or retail value.

#GLOBALAMCAMP CONTEST ENTRIES

What Size Snowboard Should I Buy?

With a ton of different snowboards on the market, choosing the right board and size can be overwhelming. Size charts can be confusing if you don’t know what you’re looking at. However, by looking at a few crucial factors, finding the right snowboard model and size can be easier than it looks.

The main factors in choosing the right snowboard and size are:

– Your Snowboarding Ability level

– Foot Size

– Height

– Riding style (where on the mountain you like to ride)

Ability Level

First, what’s your snowboard ability? Snowboards are made for all types of ability levels ranging from beginner to expert. There is no shame in buying a “beginner” board if you’re just starting out. Be realistic with yourself and get the board that matches your skills best. Finding a board that best matches your skill level will help you progress more quickly and enjoyably. Beginner boards will be more forgiving and therefor more fun to ride and learn on. If you jump on a high-end expert level board, you may not progress as fast and more importantly, it will be harder to ride and you may not have as much fun learning. Beginner Snowboards via Board Finder >

Foot Size

The second factor in finding the right snowboard is choosing the right width for your foot size. A correct width snowboard allows your snowboard boots to extend slightly over the edges of the board. Not too far that during a hard turn it is possible to drag a toe. By having the boots slightly overhang the edge, the rider can control the board’s leverage and pressure with their ankles. Below is a chart comparing typical snowboard widths with boot sizes.

Generally you only want to buy a WIDE model if you need one. The narrower your snowboard the quicker it will turn edge to edge, however it’s still best to size it to the width of your feet. Tall people and those with size 11 or bigger feet usually ride WIDES. Shop Wide Snowboards >

Boot Size (US Men’s)

<7

8-9.5

10-11.5

11.5+

Width in mm

240-245

246-254

255-259

260+

Snowboard Width

Narrow

Regular

Mid-Wide

Wide

Board Length

The third and nearly most important part of picking the right snowboard is length. A very basic way to identify a good board length for you, used to be done by measuring the board to a person’s chin; however, that doesn’t take in the factor of weight. If you’re lighter than average, look for a shorter board; conversely, if you’re heavier than average, look into a larger board. Also you can base the length on what you’re ridden previously. Have you rented a board that was really hard to turn? It was probably too long for you.

Riding Style

In addition to weight, the riding style and what you want to ride plays an effect on the board size. This is less important for beginners as most beginner boards will be optimized for the entire mountain. Most brands call them “All Mountain” boards or some variation of that.

If you’re looking for a board to hit the park and freestyle features, you want to get a Park snowboard on the shorter side of the spectrum. If you’re riding mostly all over the mountain, trees, and powder, you want to consider a board on the longer end of the spectrum. A longer or wider board gives you more straight line speed, stability and more flotation in soft snow but sacrifices maneuverability. If you want to mix all mountain versatility with a twin park shape, we make Freestyle All Mountain boards, size to your preference.

Below is a table showing roughly ideal snowboard sizes based on your height.

Remember, snowboard sizing all comes down to personal preference.

Rider Height (in)

Rider Height (cm)

Snowboard Size (cm)

4’10”

147

128 – 136

5′

152

133 – 141

5’2″

158

139 – 147

5’4″

163

144 -152

5’6″

168

149 -157

5’8″

173

154 -162

5’10”

178

159 -167

6′

183

160+

6’2″

188

160+

6’4″

193

160+

Confused yet? Still not sure what board is right for YOU? Well you’re in luck. We’ve developed one of the best board finder tools and size calculators in the industry to make your life easy. Not only will it show you what size snowboard to buy but it will recommend some models based on your skills and riding styles. Click the Image below…

Lowtide snow conditions at Revelstoke Resort did not deter the guys from Society Snow and Skate, from throwing down a fun contest for S-Games 2015. Half the town turned out 2 days in a row to build the course, then rebuild the course after the rain washed away the in run.

Jeff Keenan, Jess Kimura, and Jake Blauvelt pleased the rowdy crowd with huge methods. Local ripper Dozer, Andrew Geeves, and Ride Snowboards Tech Rep Erik Gelling were pushing the limits with jaw-dropping airs. Master shaper, Ben Bilocq, was on point all day, with textbook backside spins and super smooth style. Another Local, Benoit, greased his way to top spot in the hip jam with tons of style and consistency.